A Beautiful Mess
by elmjuniper
Summary: Kassandra has never known what family really is. Maybe with Daphnae she finally will, but first, she needs to not only convince the gods but also the woman who hates her. KASSANDRA/DAPHNAE Legacy of The First Blade fix-it fic. OMEGAVERSE.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** Just a fan of Kassandra. Almost all characters belong to Ubisoft.

 **A/N:** Right, so, this is my first attempt at Alpha/Omega fic. I've decided to go very non-traditional Alpha/Omega with this as it suits what I prefer. For anyone who doesn't know the Omegaverse is basically: Alphas can impregnate Omegas. Meaning my Kassandra doesn't need to be forced to sleep with the sad sack of shit that Nakatas is.

This is a fix-it it to Ubi's shitshow of a DLC. Their queerbaiting really stings, and I probably shouldn't even be giving them my time of day with fanfics, but hey, Kassandra deserves better. Have you played it? Read about it? What are your thoughts?

Contains a wee bit of smut.

Please leave a review. I will try to get back to reviewers!

~Elm

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 **CHAPTER ONE**

Kassandra has spent the past two years travelling Greece, chasing down cultists and trying to find her mother. She's followed every crumb she's found taking her from the green hills of Phokis to the small island of Keos. And all the while she's kept a keen eye out for the extraordinary animals Daphnae had mentioned to her. And Kassandra has found four of them already.

Each time Kassandra brings the pelts, Daphnae seems happier to see her. Her voice is softer, and she smiles instead of dropping her hand to her sword. When Kassandra returns with the third Daphnae even touches Kassandra's arm with her fingertips. Then she asks Kassandra to stay. Share supper. Kassandra couldn't have said no even if she wanted to.

She's enthralled by the omega. Daphnae speaks about the Daughters with such passion. Her eyes glow when she gets excited about something and her hands gesticulate wildly when she talks about the hunt. A wrinkle forms between her brows when Kassandra asks why. Why Daphnae promised herself to Artemis. They took her in, she explains. Kept her safe when no one else would. Taught her everything she knows. Then Daphnae asks Kassandra why she became a misthios. It's with a small smile she listens to Kassandra tell a similar story. Perhaps, she says, they have more in common than she thought.

After that time, Kassandra returns whenever she can. Even if she only has ordinary pelts. A sacrifice for Artemis Kassandra tells herself. She places the pelts on the altar and one night, after killing the Nemean lion, she notices Daphnae watching her.

That night they share stories again. Daphnae of her sisters and Kassandra of her travels. It is not until the moon starts to fade they realise they've spent the entire night talking. Kassandra likes those nights. Getting to know the huntress. But there's always something distant between them. Something Kassandra can't put her finger on.

Unlike other things.

Daphnae likes Kassandras fingers. She whimpers this into Kassandra's mouth the first time she takes her to bed. It sends a wave of heat through Kassandra. How her name tumbles across the huntress lips. How Daphnae's breathing grows quicker, hips rolling against Kassandra's palm.

"Don't stop," she begs at first. Kassandra doesn't and soon Daphnae's words are merely breathless moans as she shivers in Kassandra's arms. But before Kassandra can finish her off the huntress' hand grabs her wrist. Determinedly.

"You are exquisite," Daphnae purrs in a low, husky voice as she strokes the tip of Kassandra's arousal. When Kassandra looks at her the huntress grinds her hips roughly against her. The contact, flesh to flesh, sends an intense shiver through Kassandra and she closes her eyes. She musn't lose control. Best case she might offend the huntress, worst case she could accidentally mate with the omega. Kassandra thinks all of this in a matter of seconds, but then she feels herself lined up with the huntress' entrance and all her thoughts of self-control slips her mind.

Lips and tongues explore, Daphnae's hands cupping Kassandra's face. The heavier the omega breathes into her mouth the more Kassandra loses herself in her. Getting lost in the omega's scent, the soft skin rubbing against her own, and the way she feels around her. Soft, and so incredibly warm.

The fiery storm builds quicker than usual and when Daphnae tenses, holds her breath and arches into Kassandra, like a well-strung bow, before collapsing Kassandra pulls out of her quickly.

It's the first night they fall asleep together. In the small tent almost overgrown with weeds and holes in it. This time Kassandra stays. For a second night. And a third. They cook, hunt, and make love. And Daphnae laughs at Kassandra's attempt to arrange Artemis' altar.

Kassandra promises she will practice and that next time she will awe and amaze the omega with her flower arranging talents.

It's not until early winter before they see eachother again.

"Beast Slayer!" Daphnae exclaims when she sees her. "I've missed you." It used to be ' _I'm glad to see you'_.

"Why do you call me that?" Kassandra mumbles against the soft lips welcoming her eagerly.

Daphnae pulls away eyebrows lifting. "And what would you have me call you? Eagle Bearer?"

"Kassandra, will do just fine." Kassandra pulls her back in trailing kisses along the delicate skin on Daphnae's neck.

Whatever Daphnae was doing when Kassandra arrived is all forgotten as Kassandra walks them towards the tent.

"Your tent is still broken?" Kassandra scowls at the shoddymaterial as they tumble onto the bedrolls.

"Kassandra," the omega growls and lifts her head from the pillow, "I am half-naked, and you haven't seen me in months, the tent can wait. I _cannot_."

She likes it when Daphnae gets dominant. She likes everything about the omega. It's a feeling that only grows stronger as Daphnae's hands roam the length of her back, nails leaving shallow scratch marks. Her legs wrap around Kassandra's waist and when Daphnae whispers "stay" the feeling intensifies until Kassandra thinks she might not be able to fight it.

"Wait, wait." She stops, her breath coming fast and hard. "I have to...you're…" Her brain cannot think up the right words.

"Stay," the omega murmurs again.

"You know I can't. The Cult, Diemos…" It's only when she catches the look in Daphnae's hazel eyes that Kassandra understands what she means. "But what if…"

Daphnae let's her thumb stroke Kassandra's bottom lip, and her eyes, laced with desire, lock with Kassandra's. "You are magnificent. Strong and brave like Athena herself. A worthy warrior and opponent. Worthy of Artemis." She looks away then.

"And what of you?"

"I could never take from the goddess."

Kassandra frowns. "I belong to _no one_ . Neither god nor goddess or anyone else but y—" She stops herself. _But you_.

A smile spreads across the huntress' lips and she pulls Kassandra closer until their foreheads touch. "Then stay with me. For tonight."

And so Kassandra does. Until Daphnae is all she can feel, her hips snapping against Daphnae's. Her lips sucking at the exquisite skin below Daphnae's collarbone. Marking the omega. And when her scent and presence envelops Kassandra completely, she gives in to the wildfire that rages within her.

It's the sweetest feeling, the soft flesh that ripples around her, squeezing her tight. With one final barley controlled push she buries herself deep in Daphnae whose hands keep her firmly in place. They stay melded together for a long time, nothing but the forest animals and leaves making any sounds.

Eventually Kassandra rolls on to her back. Daphnae curls up next to her drawing invisible circles on Kassandra's chest, tracing the different scars with feather light touches. Kassandra doesn't remember when she falls asleep. She only remembers waking up some time later from the popping and crackling of a campfire. Then voices. Upset and angry voices.

She sits up as a new scent intrudes on her territory. An alpha scent. She scrambles into her clothes and armour then steps outside, the voices falling instantly silent. Daphnae and two other women turn to look at her.

The one standing the closest to Daphnae is tall, with a lean build and dark hair. The other one is smaller with red body markings that curl around her limbs.

"Beast Slayer." Daphnae says. "This is Dike and Gaia. My closest beastmaster and huntress."

Gaia, the huntress with red body markings, eyes her with curious blue eyes whereas Dike's eyes narrow darkly. When Daphnae motions towards her she stands a little straighter. Her alpha scent is so strong it almost drowns out Daphnae's.

"I heard voices." Kassandra bites down on the protective instinct that rises within her. From where she cannot say.

"This is no concern of yours, Beast Slayer. We are here to confer with Daphnae." Dike puts her hand on Daphnae's shoulder. The combination of Spartan blood and alpha instinct takes over and Kassandra draws to her full height as she bares her teeth at the other alpha.

Dike doesn't move her hand, only tilts her chin upwards in challenge. It's a challenge Kassandra is willing to accept. She has killed lesser beings than this alpha. A grin tugs at the corner of her mouth when Daphnae steps between the two alphas. Her palm presses gently against Kassandra's chest, the touch enough to snap her out of the rage surging through her.

"Enough," the omega speaks with the same commanding tone she had the first day they met. Dike wears a smug smirk on her face, but it vanishes when the shoulder of Daphnae's garment slides to the side displaying Kassandra's marks. "Enough, my love," she whispers softly and it makes Kassandra's stomach flip. Like free falling.

"Daphnae!" Dike hisses, her voice dripping with disapproval. "What about Artemis? Have you forgotten about the—" She's silenced by Daphnae's hand.

"I have forgotten nothing, Dike."

Kassandra doesn't like the way they all look at her. Or the sudden sadness in Daphnae's voice. "What is this all about?"

"Tradition," Dike spits, "but what would you know of it, _misthios_?"

"Dike…" Gaia looks at her sister as if she's just insulted the gods.

"A misthios' only concern is drachmae. Do you even know why you're here?" Dike ignores the huntress.

"I said _enough_!" Daphnae barks, eyes blazing with anger at her beastmaster.

Even Kassandra feels herself taken aback by the ferocity in the omegas voice. Kassandra looks at the omega. Not many omegas would dare snape at an alpha in such manner, and had Kassandra been a weaker alpha she would have taken offense to this omega defending her honour.

"You have what you came for. Now return to your sisters." Daphnae, her voice hard and terse, cuts the conversation short.

Dike's glower says she won't back down, but she knows Daphnae's marked now and so when Kassandra bares her teeth at her again, she relents.

"As you wish." The beastmaster clasp her hand behind her back and gives a bow.

The omega watches the two sisters retreat into the darkness of the forest, her body tense and rigid. Kassandra doesn't touch her, careful not to intrude on the omega's space when she's agitated.

"Daphnae," Kassandra murmurs when the smell of agitation dissipates. And then she tries the words, for the first time in her life, none other worthy of them: "my love."

The omega melts into her. It's almost preposterous how well Daphnae fits in her arms. As if Kassandra herself was molded just for her. She wants to ask the omega what happened. What Dike had meant. But before she can Daphnae turns in her arms and rests her face against her. Her face fitting perfectly in the bend where Kassandra's shoulder and neck meet.

"Daphnae, what did Dike mean?"

"Finding a mate that isn't part of the Daughters can be dangerous."

She slides a hand behind Daphnae's ear gently lifting the omega's face towards her own. "I am a misthios. You knew this. But I will never betray you."

Daphnae blinks back at her then, her eyes growing damp. "It is not you I am worried about."

𝛀

Kassandra didn't return for several months. Daphnae knew this was a possibility. Just as she had known the possible outcome of bonding with the alpha. She had prevented it with herbal remedies. But it had been risky. She shouldn't have mated with the alpha, she knows this. Not when Kassandra is the one sent by the gods to be her challenger.

Dike has berated her for her behaviour. What would the goddess say? Daphnae knows the beastmaster is right. But then she finds herself in Kassandra's strong arms again and all sense leave her body.

Daphnae tells herself she will stop Kassandra from carrying out anymore of the kills. Next time she comes to visit. Daphnae will explain everything. But the next time and the times after the next seem to slip through her fingers. Kassandra hasn't found more of the beasts, but she visits anyway. As often as she can.

Winter turns to summer and then winter again and she still can't find the right time to tell Kassandra. Their moments are so fleeting, she forgets. Or perhaps she chooses to forget.

It's early spring when she feels the scent of the alpha again. Strong, wild, and untamed. And something...Daphnae stops what she's doing. Something dark. Something...broken?

She walks over to the opening of the temple. Rain whips through the air, winds tugging roughly at the trees, and rustling the leaves. A night like this is better spent in the shelter of the wooden structure than in her small tent.

When Daphnae sees her alpha she doesn't recognise her. She slips off Phobos and walks towards the temple like she's carrying a ton of stones on her shoulders. Her powerful scent is the only thing Daphnae recognises.

Kassandra pulls her into her arms and holds her so tight Daphnae thinks she might faint from lack of air.

"Kassandra?" She gives the misthios a worried look when she finally releases her strong hold of Daphnae. "What happened?"

"The Cult." Kassandra's head drop towards the ground. "They have taken _everything_ from me. Alexios, and my mater."

Daphnae strokes the alpha's arm. "Tell me everything."

And while Daphnae fetches new, dry clothes for her alpha, Kassandra tells her what happened on Mount Taygetos. The same mountain her father had once thrown her off.

"I killed my little brother." Her voice is small, brittle. "I had no choice, but Mater says she cannot look at me anymore. I'm not to go back to Sparta again." Her tears fall, freely, and Daphnae kisses them away, impressed by this strong woman. Who isn't afraid of anything. Not even her emotions. Unlike most alphas.

"You still have me." It's a promise she shouldn't make, but she does it anyway. There's only so much one soul can bear and can Kassandra's need a rest. It's been through too much.

Kassandra stays for longer this time. Her spirit growing stronger each day. Some days she even allows herself to laugh without feeling guilt. It's mid-spring when Ikaros returns with a message for Kassandra. Barnabas had a run-in with a Persian, someone who might have more clues about the cult.

She drags a tired hand through her thick hair. She doesn't want to go. Daphnae doesn't want her to go, but they both know better.

They share, what Daphnae hope isn't their last night together, before Kassandra sets off before dawn breaks. Daphnae watches her leave, feeling the emptiness settle in her chest. The temple which had once brought her solitude and peace felt cold, and empty.

Kassandra won't be back for a long time. She rarely is. Perhaps going back home to her sisters would do Daphnae good. Keep her mind off other things.

She's almost at Chios when she feels it for the first time. The sudden wave of nausea as she walks across the hull of the boat she's sailing with. Sea legs so far into a journey? It doesn't happen again, so she decides it was sea legs. For a time she's convinced it was. Until Dike wonders why she's not in heat yet.

Dike was the alpha who would help Daphnae during her heat. She would make sure she was safe, that no other alphas would try to mark her. Dike would patiently pace outside Daphnae's hut, like a wolf ready to bite anyone who dared intrude. Daphnae was their leader after all, and she must be kept safe. Only this time her heat hadn't arrived.

She blinked, her mind reeling. She was sure she'd made certain to drink the herbal tea the days after they mated.

The beastmaster's eyes narrows and she draws a deep breath through her nostrils, scenting the omega before her. Then her eyes grow large with shock.

"The Beast slayer?" Dike takes a sudden step away from Daphnae as if she's been stung.

"I...I was careful."

"You're with child? With the very person to challenge you?!" Dike stares at her and for the first time ever the respect she once looked at Daphnae with is gone. "You care nothing for Artemis and our traditions?"

Dike might be an alpha, but she was _not_ the leader. "Do not lecture me about the way of our people. I know them well and I will deal with this."

"See to that you do it. And soon." The beastmaster's voice is as sharp as a knife's edge. "If you don't the other leaders will hear of this."

Daphnae watches the beastmaster skulk off and then she escapes into her hut. She is with child. She is carrying Kassandra's child and though she should take the necessary steps to deal with it something stronger than Artemis and tradition stays her hand.

This child was hers and Kassandra's. Her mother's instinct has already kicked in and she wraps her arms protectively around her belly. She will protect this child from everything. Even if it means her own sisters.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, so I will just throw a reminder in here that is says EVENTUAL happy ending, mm-kay.

Thanks so much for all the love and support this rare pair is getting. 3

It makes me happy! Ok, on with it. Enjoy!

Some helpful note:

agapi moumy love

Fíltatos my dear

 **Omega verse crash course: **think of the world having the two biological genders we have, and then there's the Alpa/Beta/Omega traits. On top of that. Not everyone is an alpha/beta/omega. And only Alphas can impregnate omegas.

 **PLEASE NOTE!** _ **THIS STORY WILL ONLY BE UPDATED ON AO3. I'M MIGRATING ALL MY STORIES OVER THERE AS FF IS OLD AND OUTDATED. PLEASE HEAD ON OVER THERE TO LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENT THERE. BESIDES POSTING FIRST CHAPTERS OF MY NEW STORIES THIS ACCOUNT WILL BE INACTIVE. LINK in bio. Username: LMjuniper**_

 **Hope to see you on AO3!**

 **~Elm**

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"You're carrying her child, yet the misthios has yet to show her face." Dike puts the glass of lemon juice on the table next to Daphnae's bed. Daphnae doesn't like the way Dike talks about the alpha. If she was in a better mood, not with child, and constantly nauseous Daphnae would have objected. But this child, curse the gods, is as stubborn as her pater.

"Kassandra will be here when she can." Daphnae walks over from the small desk she's been sat at.

"But there has been no word from her. No messengers, no snoopy eagle. She could be dead for all you know."

An image of a lifeless Kassandra flashes in Daphnae's mind. "No." She shakes her head. Kassandra is still alive. She knows it, she feels it in her very bones. She can feel it as clearly as she can feel the bout of nausea and dizziness wash over her. Again.

"Fíltatos…" Dike's voice is softer when she steps forward to help Daphnae steady herself. And Daphnae finds herself clinging to the other woman's arms, leaning into her for support.

Dike is one of the strongest of her sisters. One of the proudest. An alpha and her scent is a pleasant combination of pride and loyalty. It makes the omega feel safe, as safe as she can feel when her alpha is not around to carry her through her pregnancy.

"This is madness," Dike murmurs as she helps Daphnae sit down on the bed. "If the Council found out. They would send you away for what you've done. You know what tradition means to them."

She sighs and puts her hand on the small bump on her belly. Kassandra is no doubt the messenger. She has already slain six out of the eight legendary animals. And just like Daphnae herself once did, Kassandra must challenge the leader. She'll have to kill the leader. Or die herself. This is how the mantle of leadership was passed on. Unless she does not finish the quest. If she tells Kassandra, she'd be betraying her sisters. For her own selfish reasons. She'd be betraying Artemis. An offense greater than any other. Punishable with exile.

Daphnae, as the leader of the Daughters, was not to do anything that could compromise the challenger's quest. Not only had she taken the Beast Slayer to her bed and into her heart. She had mated with the alpha, the offspring now growing inside her. If the council found out they would exile her and have one of her sisters take her role as the leader. The one to face Kassandra.

Dike wants to be the leader. She wants to step out from the shadows. But the beastmaster knows she was not sent by the gods. Is she too honorable, Daphnae asks herself, to take the leadership by revealing their leader's secret?

"Why have you not told them yet?" She looks into Dike's eyes.

The proud beastmaster crouches down in front of Daphnae with a sigh. "I am an alpha. The sisters don't have to know I'm not the pater."

"What?"

"You are already marked by an alpha, so I cannot mark you unless you break the bond. The others won't know, but if Iphgenia visits, she'll know. She'll smell the Beast Slayer on you." Dike puts her hand on top of Daphne's that still rests on her belly. "I will step up, and no one needs to know. Not even the child."

Daphnae smiles then. Dike, for all her temper and hotheadedness, is not malicious. She reaches out for the beastmaster and touches the warm cheek with her hand. "Kassandra will be here. But I am forever grateful for your friendship."

Dike's gaze lowers. "I understand." Then she stands back up, smiles and leaves Daphnae to her own thoughts. And she thinks of the Beast Slayer, her alpha, where she might be, what she might do, and if she thinks of Daphnae as much as the huntress thinks of her.

 **Ω**

Agapi mou,

When you have time come see me in Chios. We have things we must discuss.

Chaire

Kassandra has read the scroll more times than she cares to admit. It's Daphnae's handwriting no doubt. She's seen it many times. Daphnae would sometimes draw prayers to Artemis in a patch of soil by the temple. Her handwriting is neat. Easy to read. Whereas Kassandras is scrawly like someone drank too much of Markos' wine and tried to write a note. Pray to the gods she shall never have to write a love letter to Daphnae.

It's probably foolish, but the note makes her miss the huntress even more. It's an odd feeling. A pull in her chest she cannot resist. Usually, when it came to women, the pull happened somewhere far below. But like a fine wine, Kassandra cannot stop craving the huntress.

The toned body, her soft lips, or the dimples near the curve on her lower back that no one else but Kassandra gets to see. A tingle darts up her spine. Thinking of the nights they spent together is helping very little Kassandra realises when her neck tingles with desire.

She better stop thinking of Daphnae's dark voice. How it dips into a low growl when Kassandra's fingers hits the right spot. Or how softly it whispers against Kassandra skin when they lay curled up in the bedrolls, Daphnae sharing her dreams and inner secrets. Things Daphnae has never told anyone else. Only Kassandra. And Kassandra shares hers just as freely with the omega.

There are moments when Kassandra lies on her back, and Daphnae rests her chin on Kassandra's chest. She adores the way Daphnae looks then. Naked, her long black hair pooling across her shoulders, her smokey eyes that wrinkle when laughter rolls off the her lips, free and happy. Kassandra could spend an eternity soaking in those moments. She's unlike any woman Kassandra has ever met.

Daphnae holds herself with pride, her body well-toned from years of hunting and living life in the wild with the Daughters. She handles her swords and bows with expertise, her body and mind moving in beautiful harmony. There is nothing dainty about Daphnae. Not like the women in Athens. Dressed in silk garments and heavy jewellry. No one could fight in something so impractical.

Of all the women Kassandra has met during her travels only one reminds her a little of Daphnae. Kyra, another strong woman, a leader as well, who revered Artemis above all the other gods. Good at hunting. Excellent at surviving. If fates had it different, Kyra would have made a good Daughter, Kassandra thinks to herself as an island takes form at the golden rim of the horizon ahead of them. Kyra had been very special. Perhaps the first woman Kassandra could have liked. But she had Thaletas. So Kassandra had stepped back. If Kyra hadn't already been involved with him, perhaps things could have worked out differently for them. The thought is an unpleasant one because although Kyra is an amazing woman, she is not Daphnae. And Kassandra cannot imagine her live without the omega.

She smiles to herself at the thought. Barnabas was right. The gods did work in curious ways, and if she just followed them they would get her to where she was meant to be. She thinks of the pelt in her cabin. Only one more of the legendary animals to kill. Daphnae will be pleased when it's done. The corner of her mouth will curl upwards, and this is why, more than anything, Kassandra goes out of her way to find them. Anything to see Daphnae smile. But it will have to wait. She's been gone long enough. Five months, and Chios is so close Kassandra can almost scent the omega in the air around her.

 **Ω**

Another month passes and then in the middle of the night Kassandra sneaks past all the sisters and into Daphnae's hut. She is lucky Dike is away with a hunting party. She could have sensed Kassandra before she even got into camp.

"Agapi mou!" Daphnae laughs and pulls the eagle bearer into her arms. How she has missed the alpha's smell.

"I've missed you to, agapi." Kassandra grins when Daphnae buries her face at her neck and takes a deep breath, inhaling her entire presence. Then she exhales a slow breath as if she's been holding it for a long time. Then her hand is on Daphnae's neck, her lips caressing the huntress'. Gentle, lovingly pouring every ounce of herself into it and it leaves the omega breathless. Her tongue slips between their lips, Daphnae welcoming the familiar taste. How could she have been without this for so long? She thinks to herself when Kassandra's hand slips across her hips, down and around to the inside of her thigh.

"Wait," Daphnae tries to breathe her mind struggling in a war between desire and duty.

"What?" Kassandra mutters, her breathe hot against Daphnae's lips. "Don't tell me you've gotten so used to taking care of yourself you don't need me." The alpha teases her.

"No," Daphnae growls. Nothing compares to Kassandra's touches, to how she knows every inch of the omega's body. Which to touch, nip, or suck. Or when. A shiver of pleasure runs through Daphnae and it takes all her willpower to pull away. "Do not try to distract me." She [chides] the alpha who chuckles in return.

"Alright." Kassandra gives the typical shake of her head. The one when she's about to listen and decide whether or not she likes what she's hearing. And suddenly, Daphane feels nervous. Kassandra is a misthios. They are bonded, but will the restless eagle bearer and seafarer ever settle down?

"Kassandra." She untangles herself from the alpha and then, there in the dark, she pulls the garment that hides her bump to the side.

The alpha's eyes go wide and round and for the faintest of heartbeats she looks like she's going to smile. But then her expression goes pale and she pinches her sides with her hands and leans forwards and breathes heavily almost like she's been running up a mountain.

Kassandra has always been difficult to read, but even a fool could understand what was going through her mind right now. And it makes the huntress feel naked. Exposed. So she quickly covers her stomach again.

"How?" She finally breathes.

"How?!" Daphane tries, and fails, miserably so, to keep her voice calm. "We mated. Bonded. Multiple times, Kassandra. Do I need to explain how babies are made?"

Kassandra lets out a sound that's more of sigh than words. Then she holds her hands out. "But a child. Is it..?"

Daphnae snarls then. "How many alpha's do you think I mate with?"

"Sorry." Kassandra shakes her head. "Of course it is. I'm just...I'm shocked. I-I don't know what to say."

Daphnae looks at the woman she loves. The one she's given herself to completely. Never has she felt so high. Never has she fallen so far. And it broke everything inside her. But she is a Daughter. They do not break easily. And she would not break. She would hold her head high, like all the great women before her. "I cannot tell you what to think or feel, Kassandra."

The alpha exhaled heavily. "Daphne, I cherish you. I love you. But...I don't know that I want to be a pater."

Daphnae stares at the alpha as if she just took a blunt hunter's knife and jabbed it into the huntress' chest. "Are you saying what I think you're…" Her voice breaks then, unable to form words around the lump in her throat.

"No, I—" Kassandra reaches out to touch her, but drops her hands again when Daphnae tenses. "Between the cult, and Pythagoras, when will I have the time to raise a child? I don't even know how to raise a child."

Daphnae can hear the bitter chuckle slip across her own lips. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before you spilled inside me."

"I thought you took care of that!" The alpha motions her hands towards Daphnae palms upwards.

"I did, but there is always a risk. You knew this and you chose to bond with me. Mate with me."

Kassandra's shoulders slump forward. "I love you, but I don't know…"

"Just go." The huntress hugs herself and jerks her head towards the exit to her hut. "Leave, and do not return unless you know what you want."

"But Daphnae, what about that?" Kassandra lifts a hand towards her belly.

"I will raise this child as my own, as a Daughter and you will have no obligations to either of us. Now leave." It surprises Daphnae how steady her voice is when everything inside her is chaos. Like fine Roman pottery shattering into thousand pieces.

"But you cannot raise it alone."

"She is not alone." Dike's voice sounds from the doorway. "Now, please do as our leader asks or my sisters and I will escort you out."

Kassandra hesitates, staring at Daphnae for what feels like an eternity. But then she turns to look at her then. Confused, bewildered and lost. Like a child who doesn't remember their way back home.

"Go." Parts of her hopes Kassandra will stay, if only to defy the other alpha, but what kind of life would that be? It's a crushing feeling , like being stomped on by one of the titans, when the eagle bearer gives a final nod then disappears into the dark night.

It's the last time she sees or hears from Kassandra. And as the months go by Daphnae's belly grows bigger and bigger. She holds her head high. Just like she said she would. When she's out in the camp she exudes strength as a leader should. But if they saw her in her hut at night where she lay breaking into a million tiny pieces, they would not think so highly of her. A woman who cries and slowly witters away aching for her mate. A mate that will never return.

It's not until she's eight months into her pregnancy that she lets Dike mark her. Iphgenia and the council is arriving for a summon and she has little choice if she wants to stay with the Daughters. Dike isn't bad. She's kind, loyal, and trustworthy. And she worships the ground Daphnae walks on. But she is not Kassandra. And they both know this. They share a hut, and a bed but Dike knows that is all Daphnae will be able to give. And for now it's enough for Dike. For now it helps Daphnae keep her head above water. For now it helps her forget about Kassandra.

 **TBC on AO3**


End file.
